For sale is a Hohner Combo Pianet electric piano made in West Germany in the mid to late ‘70s. This is a classic electromechanical design using plucked steel reeds, the vibrations of which are picked up electrostatically. The action is extremely simple, using a “sticky pad” as both plucker and damper at the end of each key lever. The controls and connections are also simple: a volume control with integrated power switch, a power connector (9V tip negative barrel jack, like a guitar pedal), and a 1/4” output jack. That’s it. And it sounds marvellous. I personally like the sound of electrostatic Pianets more than any other electromechanical piano design.

This Combo is in very good cosmetic condition and playing beautifully. In 2024, I rebuilt all of the sticky pads in an unusual way: with felt cores instead of foam. This is somewhat experimental, since in theory, the felt could shed fibres into the gaps between reeds and pickups, causing fuzzy notes. However, I have not experienced trouble so far, and after all, Wurlitzer used felt for the dampers and hammers of their electrostatic pianos, so there is a history of compatibility between felt and electrostatic pickups in practice. By using felt, the pads should last much longer than usual; synthetic foam lasts maybe 20 years, while I’ve seen felt in good condition after 100 years. Note that the only commercially available sticky pads at the moment are solid silicone units from Clavinet.com, which perform badly – they introduce clicking noises during both plucking and damping. But these ones should work well for a long time, and could be rebuilt again.

Voicing was adjusted for a relatively bright and punchy tone. The instrument comes with a voicing tool (for bending the pickup tongues) located inside behind the harp, so you can adjust it to your liking if desired. Reeds are in good tune. The inside has been thoroughly cleaned, including beneath the keys. All electrolytic capacitors have been replaced, and noise floor is low.

Note that there are two fundamentally different Pianet designs that result in very different character. The early models (including this Combo) use electrostatic pickups similar to a Wurlitzer, and they tend to sound like even punchier Wurlitzers. I believe that aside from differences caused by condition and adjustment, there is no meaningful difference in tone between electrostatic Pianet models, except that some have tremolo while others (including the Combo) don’t. Later models (most notably the T) use electromagnetic pickups similar to a Rhodes, and these are much mellower, sounding like a rather weak Rhodes-kalimba hybrid.

Thanks for looking, and feel free to ask questions or make an offer!